May 08 2008
Reduce Clutter
The Minimalist’s Guide to Fighting (and Beating) Clutter Entropy:
Here are my favorite tips for beating clutter entropy, for the minimalists among you.
My household could (should) put those tips to practice: they’re logical and easy. The one tip I like a lot is Designate a home for everything, and be fanatic: every item should have a storage place - bills, books, receipts, manuals… find a place in the house to store different types of crap and ensure the items are placed there.
I’m always looking for ideas on how to simplify and organize my life, although reading about the ideas and then implementing them takes the most discipline.
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Tags: clutter, organizing
I’ve seen this article and thought about posting about it… I just might. You are right, the key IS discipline. That is an even greater challenge when you aren’t the only person that must follow that discipline.
It’s also not just about having a place for everything. In order to maintain the discipline, some of those things must have a convenient place. If it’s not easy to access and put away, the item will find its way to a clutter collector… a counter top, a desk, a dresser or other convenient horizontal surface. One must also make a decision about function versus fashion. Is it ok to have the remote control on the table next to the comfy chair? Is that clutter? How about the blender on the counter, the one you only use once a month?
Ya, good point: convenience is a major factor to ensure the practice becomes habit; no one’s going to put things in their proper place if it a pain.
Blenders and stuff that’s not frequently used gets stored in cupboards. Only frequently used are on the counter-top in our kitchen. Our miscellaneous utensil drawer is a mess, though: spatulas, measuring spoons and cups, and lots of other odds and ends… at least it’s not in sight.
I have method for reducing clutter: throw everything out. I do it every 3 years.
I’m the daughter and granddaughter of hoarders so I try to keep the mess to a minimum. I know what happens if you start letting it slide and it ain’t pretty. Mostly it’s about throwing things away. I try to store things I “might” use in the garage so they are closer to the trash. Take a few minutes once a week or so to tidy drawers. Go through your closets every 3 months.